National Weather Service

Kansas City is seeing flooding around the metro, plus downed trees and traffic crashes, after a "confirmed large and extremely dangerous tornado" was reported in Raytown near the Truman Sports Complex.

The National Weather Service says a "confirmed large and extremely dangerous tornado" was located near Raytown, moving east at 45 mph towards Independence. Tornado warnings have been canceled for Jackson County and surrounding areas, but the threat of flash flooding remains.

National Weather Services offices lack meteorologists after the Trump administration implemented cuts and a hiring freeze. With the Pleasant Hill location near Kansas City understaffed by 40%, Missouri offices are attempting a Band-Aid solution to keep an eye on the weather.

Kansas City is getting hit by winds up to 80 MPH and half-dollar-sized hail that could damage roofs or cars. The area is also in danger of flash flooding, as thunderstorms batter the Midwest and Great Plains.

The National Weather Service says a "multi-day catastrophic and potentially historic" storm is expected to impact multiple states. Thousands have lost power in Missouri and other states, and a person was killed Wednesday evening in the southeast part of the state.

National Weather Service offices across the country are suspending or reducing weather balloon flights due to low staffing. Meteorologists say the loss of data could lead to forecasting challenges and less accurate long-term outlooks.

Dry conditions and high winds have led to wildfires across Missouri. So far, there have been no reported injuries, but structures and vehicles have burned.

Nearly 2,500 jobs are being eliminated at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the federal agency responsible for collecting weather data used by meteorologists. That could spell danger for millions of people who rely on accurate forecasts.

For the hundreds of meteorology students at the University of Missouri, working for the National Weather Service was the dream until federal job cuts hit the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Plus: Firings at the U.S. Department of Agriculture have impacted research facilities across the Midwest.

Hundreds of employees were fired from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration last week. The mood was grim the next morning in an atmospheric science class at the University of Missouri.

Parts of the Kansas City region are under an Extreme Cold Warning until Thursday afternoon, with wind chills as low as 30 below. But the forecast for next week is significantly brighter.

Starting Monday night, a new blast of winter weather will see up to 10 inches of snow and wind chills as low as negative-30. The storm will plunge Missouri and Kansas into the freezing cold through Friday.